East Asian Observatory is excited to announce that JCMT will be moving to fully remote operation from November 1st, 2019. From that date forward, JCMT will not require visiting observers to staff observing runs at the telescope.
The close collaboration between our user community and the Observatory is one of the greatest strengths of the JCMT. EAO will continue to enhance this relationship in the new era of fully remote operations via visiting young student programs, online real-time access to nighttime observing, and a range of other initiatives. We welcome your ideas and need your contributions to continue to produce the high impact science that we are all so proud of at JCMT. EAO welcomes short- and long-term visits to the Observatory to meet and collaborate with staff and learn about data reduction and analysis techniques. Astronomers wanting to work with our upcoming new instrument suite or utilize complex observing modes (e.g. VLBI) will also be encouraged to visit the JCMT to assist with commissioning efforts to ensure high quality science is produced.
In addition to welcoming visiting astronomers, the EAO will continue to host the JCMT Users Meeting yearly (this year in Taiwan) and will continue to send observatory staff to our regions when requested for workshops.
Remote operation is not a new concept for the JCMT, having been done in the past on occasion, and routinely via Extended Observing shifts since 2013/2014 (for more see the January 2014 Newsletter). Progress towards fully remote observing has been moving at an excellent pace. The observatory’s engineering team has been working hard this summer to overhaul and upgrade JCMT systems – including an overhaul of the roof and door hydraulics – and this work is on schedule to be complete well in advance of our planned switchover in November.
The Observatory appreciates your support and understanding as we advance into to this exciting new era for JCMT science. If you have any questions or concerns, please email our helpdesk@eaobservatory.org.
Image Credit: William Montgomerie
As a reminder, to get up-to-date information about the JCMT please send an e-mail to jcmt_users+subscribe@eaobservatory.org.